New Faves

Here are some "new faves" I have discovered recently.....
1. Socks from DSW.
OK, this one makes me chuckle because I never used to care about socks. In fact, I used to have the unofficial motto of "matching socks are overrated." But then, I discovered socks at DSW. They have a multitude of colors, some even have a weave, and best of all, they take much, much longer to wear out. I never knew that good socks could complete an outfit so much.....

2. Jeans from the "Vanity" store at the mall.
Instead of generic jean sizes they are sized according to waist size and leg length. I have jeans that fit enough to be flattering but not so form fitting that I can't wait to take them off. In fact, I can wear them all day. Love them!!!

3. Pre-chopped/stir fry chicken.
I get mine at Macey's. I love to cook but it is really rare that I cook with chicken breasts. Usually I take a pkg of chicken breats, defrost them, then chop them and cook them. But now.... I just defrost and cook- it's like chicken prep heaven! Today I made fajitas (for you Debo!) and chicken noodle casserole.

4. Buying hair straightener cream from the salon instead of just a brand at the drugstore. OK, so this may not be for everyone, but if you have seen my hair, especially just after I wake up, or just after it's been blow-dryed- you know why this is a must for me. Thank you to April, my stylist, for suggesting it to me!

I hope to add to this list in the future... feel free to add to your own suggestions for "new faves" in the "comments" I would love to hear your ideas!

2 Unlikely Roles.....

Here are two "roles" I never thought I would have.... one was last summer, the 2nd is going on currently. First off, I am neither a skilled athlete or a math scholar.....

(1) Soccer referee, and before you gasp you must know that it was for children's soccer though the local rec center. The youngest kids were 3-5 yrs and the oldest group was 9-10. Thankfully, the first few games were with the older kids, so I basically followed their lead, until I could better remember the rules for myself...... I even got a whistle and an official black and white shirt!

The perks: GREAT exercise running up and down a field. Who knew? No one threw anything at me or cussed at me. In fact, a lot of parents thanked me after the games. Lots and lots of laugh. Like when I would blow the whistle for "out" and a preschooler is still pursuing a ball outside the boundary lines.... Also, my nephew was in the same league so I got to watch some of his games, as well. As a spectator.

(2)Tutor for a guy in my ward- he is studying for his GED.
Perks: Brushing off my math skills, spending time with a person of the opposite gender, good feelings of problem solving and trying to help someone, it's OK to say, "I don't know...." Thankfully, we will eventually move on to grammar, reading, spelling- much more my style.

Now your turn- which role surprises you more: soccer referee or math tutor???? It's OK to chuckle and be honest- I don't mind a bit!

Smiles for Today 3/17/09

Here's what makes me smile today:
1- waking up without my alarm clock
2-good hair day
3-fresh fruit- thank you Sunflower market!!!
4- exchanging text messages with my nieces
5-watching Biggest Loser
6-the ability to walk/run
7-Sunshine (repeat 3 times!)
8-reading a story to a child
9-my "breakfast in a baggie"
10-chatting with a good friend

New Blog!!!!

Here is my new blog address:

believe-ability.blogspot.com

Enjoy if you so choose!!!!!

Random Stuff

Here are some random ramblings from recent days....

-Dana made a delicious casserole for us for dinner- mashed potatoes and dressing and gravy. I love her.... and not just because she cooks for us- don't worry I take my turn, too!
-Our morning class at Head Start only had 5 of 17 children attending. A combo of Daylight Savings and older siblings being out of school. And the afternoon was more full and plenty lively.....
-These days I eat "breakfast in a baggie" every morning, and eat it on my way to work. What's in this blessed baggie you may ask? Multi-grain cheerios, (a baggie full of those is also my trick to staying awake in an evening institute class!), craisins, plain and dry cocount, whole almonds, and.... for the indulgence- semi-sweet chocolate chips! In moderation....

-OK, so this totally cracks me up every time I think about it, in my "worst date ever" blog post I mentioned that I told my date I knew I wanted to do teaching since I was "small...." But I totally should have said "young" At what point was I not "small?" When I am wearing my 3 inch stillettos????
-I got my hair cut again on Saturday and I completely love it! Thank you, April! My stylist.... Each time I get my hair cut I really do feel like a sheep being sheared for spring, and then for the next several days I can be found running my fingers through lightweight hair- just because I can! Of course the real test comes when I have to wash my locks and style it myself....
-I have a good life!!!!! Seriously, I do.

Power of Prayer

Today was a hard day, for various reasons. If you really want to know more, e-mail contact/blog message/facebook (there- covered all my bases) me and I will fill you in. If not......

The past 24 hours have been busy and somewhat emotionally intense, with both ups and downs. But at the end of the night, when I returned to my apartment, I really did feel somewhat alone. My roommate was with her boyfriend, my sister was ill, my mom was at a viewing, etc. You get the idea.....

Even though I have known many times, about Heavenly Father being the only one you can turn to at times, the only one who is always there, I REALLY experienced that tonight. I got on my knees and I think I cried/prayed/talked for several minutes. Even though nothing changed immediately, I felt comfort in knowing that I really wasn't alone, nor would I be.

Again, the message of this post is not one of gloom but one of hope, and testimony that God is always there, he is never too busy, or asleep, or unavailable. There is no charge, no cell phone bills or minutes being consumed. As hard as they may be, I am truly grateful for the times that remind me who Heavenly Father and who I am in relation to him. I am grateful for the moments that remind me to put my complete trust in him.

WORST. DATE. EVER!!!!

You try to do a good thing (like support a ward date activity) and where does it get you??? Well, in my case it did NOT get me a good date but it did give me lots to laugh about!!!!

Tonight's activity: a shoe box dinner. Girl provides a main course for two, guy brings drinks and dessert for two. All the girls bring one spare shoe and the guys randomly select a shoe and get the dinner and the girl (for the night) that belong to the shoe. Simple. Easy. Harmless. Fun.

The guy that got my shoe is not in my ward, he was there with a friend. One of the first things that I said to him after we sat down, trying to put him at ease, was "It's nice to meet someone new." His response: "Why? Aren't the guys in your ward good enough?" What does one say to that?????

Other such gems:
That a girl should not marry "only" a returned missionary because if a girl is not willing to go on a mission- why should she expect that of a man?" Ummm... because the prophet has stated it is optional for women??? Perhaps he missed that conference talk? He did admit that most of his dates have ended soon because he and the girls got into debates about this.

He will not marry before age 30 because there is too much he wants to do with his life, and if he doesn't marry in this life, it's OK. Apparently the "over 30 and a menace to society only applied in Brigham Young's time".....

He kept asking me about my interests and the 5th time around in exasperation I said, "What are you looking for?" Apparently getting an MA degree, having lived in two Aisan countries, cooking, training for a half marathon, was not interesting enough. As he said, "I just can't believe that those are you only interests. I want to learn about EVERYTHING." So what do you think I do in grad school, anyway? Paint my nails? Honestly!

Granted, I was witholding information from him. He kept asking why I chose teaching and there is a fabulous story to go wtih that, how after being diagnosed with a brain injury I wanted to help kids like me... but I wasn't about share such a part of myself that I didn't think would be respected. I just told him that I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was small.

He also asked me point-blank, "Do you ever get tired of being single?" I told him that I did want to get married but I chose not to dwell on being single, he nodded his head in approval. The one thing that seemed to meet his approval. Wahoo.

So this e-mail is riddled with sarcasm (something I may need to repent of later) but honestly! C'mon say it with me.... WHO DOES THINGS LIKE THAT?

For the record, the date was so awful it was absolutely hysterical! AND.... Wednesday night was one of the best dates ever, and ended in plans for a second date. But that's all I can say for now.... Stay tuned!